Missy Elliott‘s out of surgery, but she’s not out of the woods. The rapper went under the knife for two and a half hours at a private Manhattan hospital on Wednesday to repair a torn Achilles tendon, which she injured during a rehearsal for the TV Guide Emmy party. Missy’s at home recuperating, and her rehabilitation could take six to 12 months. “Tearing your Achilles is no joke,” Elliott said in a statement. “I can’t even tell you how much pain I’m in, but I’m happy the surgery went well, and I want to thank everyone for their concern.” Because of the injury, Missy canceled an appearance at VH1′s Hip Hop Honors as well as a show in London on October 10, but she still plans to perform in New York on October 8. She’s due back for a follow-up with her doctor on Tuesday. … “American Idol” runner-up Bo Bice and his wife, Caroline, had a baby boy on Saturday, the rocker’s rep said. The 29-year-old singer named the boy Aiden Bice. …

The Dirty South’s most crunked-out duo, the Ying Yang Twins, are making the leap to the big screen. The two are slated to start filming their first flick, a comedy titled “Viagra Falls,” next year. The project will feature the Twins as two buddies from Atlanta trying to raise enough cash from their dead-end jobs to fund a spring-break trip to Daytona Beach, Florida, according to the Hollywood Reporter, but their plans take an unexpected turn once the guys get a hold of a box of Viagra. … The Biggie duets LP fans have been hearing about for years is finally about to drop: The Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter is due November 29. The first single, a duet by Big and Bob Marley called “Hold Ya Head,” has just been released. The record was produced by Clinton Sparks, who’s best known for his mixtapes. … Hilary Duff is “so excited” to turn 18 on Wednesday, she wrote Monday on her Web site. “The countdown has begun!” she posted. “Thanks to everyone who has sent birthday cards and letters; I can’t read them all, but the letters that I have seen were great and very much appreciated.” …

The upcoming Nirvana compilation Sliver: The Best of the Box (November 1) features three previously unreleased tracks: “Spank Thru” (from the notorious 1985 Fecal Matter demo tape), the 1990 studio outtake “Sappy” and a rehearsal recording of “Come as You Are” from before the sessions for the band’s breakthrough Nevermind album. The rest of the 19 songs are taken from last year’s odds and sods collection, With the Lights Out, including a live version of Led Zeppelin‘s “Heartbreaker” from the band’s first gig, solo acoustic versions of “Lithium” and “Rape Me” and a rehearsal recording of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” with slightly different lyrics. … Limp Bizkit‘s forthcoming Greatest Hitz, due November 8, will contain cuts from each of the band’s platinum and multiplatinum recordings — including “Faith,” “Break Stuff,” “Nookie,” “Rollin’,” “N 2 Gether Now” — as well as three unreleased tracks: “Why,” “Lean on Me” and a new track that is a mesh of Mötley Crüe‘s “Home Sweet Home” with the Verve‘s “Bittersweet Symphony.” Bizkit will also release a DVD retrospective that same day, called “Greatest Videoz” of course. Frontman Fred Durst and guitarist Wes Borland are currently writing material for the next Limp Bizkit studio disc. …

System of a Down will congregate outside Representative Dennis Hastert’s Batavia, Illinois, office Tuesday at noon, along with members of the Armenian National Committee of America, Axis of Justice and the Armenian Youth Federation as well as dozens of System fans. They hope to persuade the House Speaker to hold a vote on pending legislation that would officially recognize Turkey’s destruction of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923, according to a press release. Despite expressing public support for the measure five years ago, Hastert has twice prevented the Armenian Genocide legislation from coming to a full vote in the House. “I just visited my 97-year-old grandfather, my only link to the far past, and promised him that I would go and try to talk to Dennis Hastert and make sure that he takes this opportunity to bring up the Armenian Genocide Resolution to the [House] floor,” frontman Serj Tankian said in a statement. “This is a personal issue to me and System.” … Super Furry Animals are heading out on the road to support their seventh album, Love Kraft. The Furries — who won’t be bringing along any blow-up bears or yeti costumes this time around — kick off the 21-date trek November 5 in New York and wrap up December 1 in San Diego. …

Warren G is readying his fifth album, In the Mid-Nite Hour, due in October. His first single, “Get U Down,” features Cypress Hill‘s B Real, and tackles racial violence in Los Angeles as well as the war in Iraq. A special “Get U Down Part 2″ features Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube as well as a dedication to Hurricane Katrina victims. Proceeds from downloads of “Part 2″ will go to the American Red Cross. … Mary J. Blige wants kids to have better smiles, so she’s teaming up with the Crest Healthy Smile oral-health education program. Blige has recorded a version of James Taylor‘s “Your Smiling Face,” which will benefit the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, who provide free and low-cost dental care, education and tools to 5 million children each year. …

09.23.2005

Kanye West criticized President Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina during a live telethon, not in a song, but two Houston rappers have taken his remarks and matched them with his song “Gold Digger,” the Los Angeles Times reports. Damien Randle and Micah Nickerson of the Legendary K.O. also altered the lyrics, commenting on the disaster’s aftermath from the evacuees’ point of view: “Screwed ’cause they say they’re coming back for us too/ But that was three days ago and I don’t see no rescue.” A spokesperson for West told the Times the rapper had no comment on the remix. …

After filing for an emergency restraining order against her husband, R. Kelly, earlier this month, Andrea Kelly went to a Chicago court Friday on (September 23) not to ask the judge to extend the protective order, but to get it dismissed. The singer’s wife had submitted in a petition on September 2 that she was at risk of physical abuse, harassment, stalking and interference with her personal liberty at her husband’s hands, and had scrawled on the petition that she didn’t want any contact with him, “at all, by any means.” She’s apparently changed her mind. … Britney Spears‘ “Fantasy” doesn’t end with perfume. The singer plans on expanding her beauty line next month to include makeup, with eye shadow (in colors called Midnight, Pixie, Enchanted Forest and Flicker), shimmer (called Fairy Dust), and lip gloss. … Mariah Carey wants to take you to dinner — if you buy her new remix. The singer is offering an opportunity for fans to win a chance to wine and dine her, if they download the remix to “Shake It Off” at iTunes. Details are listed on her Web site, www.MariahCarey.com. …

Austin, Texas, anti-heroes Spoon — they of the snarling interview and snarky lyric — will be bringing the acrimony to a town near you starting in late October. They’ve just announced dates for a late fall/ early winter U.S. tour in support of Gimme Fiction beginning October 27 in Louisville, Kentucky. Former Helium singer Mary Timony will serve as the opening act on several dates. The tour is scheduled to run until November 18. For a list of dates, check out SpoonTheBand.com. … Fans of Elvis Costello can soon enjoy a vast collection of the British rocker’s best music videos. “The Right Spectacle: The Very Best of Elvis Costello” DVD will feature 27 of the celebrated songwriter’s clips, including “Armed Forces,” “Get Happy” and “Veronica.” The disc, due Tuesday, will come with special features such as audio commentary by Costello recorded for each video, rare TV performances, production notes and hidden surprises. …

Vanessa Carlton‘s going to play charades for charity, along with actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mariska Hargitay, Kyra Sedgwick, Bebe Neuwirth and designer Cynthia Rowley, among others. Celebrity Charades will take place at New York’s St. Patrick’s Youth Center on Monday and will benefit the LAByrinth Theater Company. … Taking Back Sunday have entered a Los Angeles recording studio to start work on their third opus, which hasn’t yet been named but is being produced by Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, Third Eye Blind); the band’s eyeing a mid-2006 release through Warner Bros. …

Record producer Phil Spector — who’s about to go to trial on first-degree murder charges — has sued his agent for allegedly embezzling nearly half a million dollars from his personal bank accounts. Spector claims in his lawsuit, filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, that Michelle Blaine admitted she and her son spent the money but promised to pay it back. Spector claims he found out from his accountants this week that Blaine had actually transferred $425,000 from his pension plan to two companies she co-operates, BT Productions and 3:15 Productions. Spector is seeking a court order barring Blaine from using his funds and compelling her to return the money. He also wants unspecified compensatory damages. …

Ex-Red House Painters singer Mark Kozelek is fond of covering other artists’ work. After releasing acoustic interpretations of AC/DC, John Denver and Neil Diamond, Kozlek is reprising the concept with Tiny Cities, an album of acoustic Modest Mouse tracks, under his Sun Kill Moon moniker. Due November 1, the album features drastically different takes on songs like “Neverending Math Equation” and “Jesus Christ Was an Only Child.” … Meanwhile, Modest Mouse are re-releasing Good News for People Who Love Bad News as a DualDisc on October 11. The CD will feature the album along with the bonus track “I’ve Got It All (Most),” while the DVD will feature an interview with singer Isaac Brock and videos for “Float On” and “Ocean Breathes Salty” as well as a new clip called “Stiff Animal Fantasy” set to the song “World at Large.” …